Dear Skippers and Crews of the Vic Classic Fleet.
Our 2011/2012 Summer Series of races restart this Sunday, Feb 5.
This race will be conducted for the Association by RYCV Race Director David LeRoy.
Attached are the documents that carry the Entry list, assigned Handicaps and Sailing Instructions.
Although our race this Sunday is the 5th race of the series it’s designated as Race 3.
Postponements of our previous Summer Series races in 2011 for weather reasons have bought about this situtation.
In a race series, the race subsequent to a postponed race carries the race number of the postponed race until that particular race is completed.
One small note about the Sailing Instructions for this race.
Section 11 Radio Communication states the RYCV Race committee will monitor VHF Channels 16 and 73. If a yacht is required to contact the Race committee the process is to use channel 73 for the first call up attempt. If no response is received on Channel 73 and if the call up requires verbal contact with the race committee then Channel 16 can be used as the call up channel to the race committee . The Race committee is then to be requested to use Channel 73 as the working channel.
The Australian Maritime College web site has a pdf copy of the Marine VHF Radio Operators Handbook
2012 Festival of Sails Results.
The overall winner of the Parks Victoria Trophy for the Classic Division of the 2012 Festival of Sails was Martini.
Consistent sailing by Ross Clark and Michael Williams, as a two up team throughout the series, allowed Martini to repay Ross and Michael for the time and effort they have given her.
Another piece of inspired sailing was that shown by Windward II in race 4 of Series. She gave Jim Woods and his team of crew members a line honours and first on handicap performance.
The Association was represented at the 2012 Festival of Sails by Windward II, the signature Classic boat of the series. Martini for the best of the series performance, Wanita with Richard Gates and his crew performed better than expected in the prevailing wind and sea conditions and Ella, with Michael Mactavish, competed well when permitted to the RGYC sailing committee.
The Association is working with the RGYC Sailing committee and the Festival of Sails event people to make a notable Classics Association participation at the 2013 event.
A comment about start line barging
At the start of race 4 in the Classic Division of the Festival of Sails a serious barging incident that ended with the spearing of the race committee boat occurred.
This incident is a reminder our boats are displacement hulls. Because of forward way they are not easily turned away to avoid collisions.
The start of our races is one of the great moments of our Classic Yacht racing. Stirring and heart stopping stuff. That’s why we race our boats.
Barging incidents are caused either by too early a commitment to the start line or looking for clean air prior to the start and approaching to the start above the committee boats windward approach line. These start tactics will always lead to barging. At the last moment the person on the helm finds there’s no weather room to tack away. Boom goes the dynamite with right of way leeward boats required to take collision avoiding action.
As well as racing under the rules of the Blue Book that we all know and love, remember we also sail under the prevention of collision convention provisions and local marine safety regulations. These provisions and regulations apply all the time when either sailing or racing.
No one is in the right when a collision occurs.
That’s it for now.
Weather permitting we can hit that start line safely and on the dot of 10:30am
Regards to all
Peter Costolloe
Classics Association Handicapper
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